For the Love of Judaism

Few movements in the Jewish religion have been as successful as that of Jewish camping. Each year thousands of Jewish children participate in an immersive Jewish experience that brings them closer to their religion and builds a lasting Jewish identity that is unmatched by any other youth program.

This week Rabbi Pont talks to Rachel Wisniewski, a photo journalist whose article on Jewish summer camp appeared in the Washingt...

On this week's episode, Rabbi Pont welcomes Dr. Stacy Gallin back to the podcast. Dr. Gallin is the founder of The Ferencz Institute for Human Rights, Ethics and the Holocaust, a non-profit organization doing the important work of using the lessons of the Holocaust to rid our world of hate of all kinds. Dr. Gallin's current projects include Athletes Against Antisemitism and Discrimination, a program focused on helping col...

Six days ago our world was shattered. For nearly a week we have all tried to make sense of the horror that Hamas brought upon Israel last Shabbat.

In the wake of the deadliest day for the Jewish people since the Holocaust, this week's episode couldn't be more prescient. In an interview recorded prior to October 7th, Rabbi Pont speaks with Dan Rozett, former IDF soldier and Director of Community Relations and Isra...

Antisemitism is on the rise. There may be no more alarming statistic for American Jews than the reality than six in ten religious hate crimes happen to Jewish people and/or organizations. A shocking statistic for a people that make up less than 2.5% of the population.

Fortunately we have people like this week's guest on For the Love of Judaism, Sophie Shafran. A senior at Indiana University, Sophie is an Emerson Fello...

Richard Michelson is an award-winning  author, poet and artist who is well known for his contributions to the cannon of Jewish writing. His newest collection, Sleeping As Fast As I Can is a four-part book of poetry that is equal parts political and personal as it explores everything from gun violence and social justice, to his relationship with Judaism and the struggle of an aging parent.

In this week's episode, Rich ...

Throughout history Jews have been the victims of persecution and discrimination that has forced them from the places they've called home. While the stories associated with the Holocaust are often-told, the stories of the Jewish people in Cuba during the 1950s and 1960s are not as well known. And still, these stories are among the most harrowing, especially for the Polish Jews who had come to Havana to escape the changing tides...

Breast cancer awareness is one of the most highly visible fundraising campaigns around. Most of us think that breast cancer is curable and so prevention is the key research priority. And yet, tens of thousands of people will die from breast cancer every year. 98% of those deaths are at the hands of metastatic breast cancer And yet, this MBC receives around 5% of the funding associated with this deadly disease.

Rabbi Pont&a...

In 1939, the USS St. Louis left Hamburg, Germany headed for Havana, Cuba with more than 900 European Jews aboard. Counting themselves among the lucky few to escape Hitler's Germany, they thought they were headed for refuge. The passengers happiness quickly turned to fear as they were denied entry to Cuba, followed by the United States, Canada and many other countries. With only four countries willing to take passengers in, the...

As Israel gets ready to celebrate its 75th birthday later this month, the only Democracy in the Middle East finds herself dealing with unprecedented internal strife. The judicial reform package being pushed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his coalition has led to weeks of protests that involve hundreds of thousands of Israelis taking to the streets. The situation is rife with challenge, and for a country that already has i...

As time goes on, there are fewer and fewer survivors of the Holocaust to share their stories of strife, courage, bravery and resilience. Fortunately, the world has women like Amy Goodman who is part of a growing movement of 3rd generation families that are sharing their grandparents stories. 

This week Amy sat down with Rabbi Pont to talk about her family's story, her recent appearance on The View, and the work she do...

Meet Jay Fisher. A remarkable 19 year old young man living a full and fantastic life with autism. This week, Rabbi Pont caught up with Jay, along with his parents, Debra and David, along with his younger sister Shoshana, to talk about how their lives have been impacted by Jay's diagnosis. Do not miss this inspiring story of a family who doesn't let a challenge stand in the way of living their best lives.

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Since its destruction nearly 2,000 years ago, Jewish scholars have studied the second Holy Temple, which stood as the center of Jewish life until 70 C.E. Who would have thought that one of the foremost experts on the Temple and what it actually looked like would be a martial arts instructor and Expert LEGO® Builder from Minnesota. 

Meet Yitzy Kasowitz, founder of JBrick, maker of custom Jewish LEGO® sets and educator of Je...

Israel has had an unprecedented number of elections over the past several years. Five times Israelis have headed to the polls in search of a stable government that can serve the needs of all Israelis.

While this most recent election resulted in the first solid majority win in several years it comes at a heavy price for many secular Israelis. With a Prime Minister on trial and an alliance made with several far right wing fa...

Community cookbooks have been a part of Synagogue culture for decades. More than just recipes, they are the through line of generations past to the future of Jewish families around the world.

Few, if any, know more about Jewish cookbooks than PhD candidate Natalie Ross who is writing her dissertation on the people behind Jewish cookbooks. Natalie, who has more than 300 community cookbooks in her possession has traveled the...